Therapist's Blog

I think my generation holds those who were the last to be pushed to have meaning and motivation in their lives because I remember quite clearly learning about careers, language, culture, and independence from very early in life. The world I remember even up to my teenage years was worth developing.

A while back I did a quick write-up on weathertainment and how constantly inundating with doomsday reports about global warming and extreme weather was messing with our heads, so much so that it was a factor in the former diagnosis Seasonal Affective Disorder - a climate-/weather-related depression. In the same mindset I wager that social and mass media force-feeding of negative futures citing disease, war, overpopulation, and alike are responsible for a lack of motivation and searching for meaning in the last two-and-a-half decades.

In my mind meaningfulness and motivation are cyclical and inter-relating giving rise to action, desire, and development. Without them we become stuck in various ruts which serve only to keep us down and away from our true potential. If this all sounds somewhat spiritual - it should. Spirituality is man's search for meaning. We find that meaning in many different ways but one thing that is consistent is that meaningful and motivating paths are those that develop the person in themselves and/or their relationships. Those who find their meaning in violence or are motivated by greed continually falter regardless of how successful they appear on the outside.

The reason I even bring any of this up is because of the number of depression rating scales I have completed with youth and young adults compared to those in their 30s to 60s where one of the traits of depression is a lack of motivation and sense of meaning - a sense of urgency. A sense that there is something that a person wants to do that they are unable to do... or, worse, a sense that a person does not desire.

Meaningfulness is an active process. We set goals for ourselves and, when done properly, find ways to achieve those goals through action and commitment. Nothing of any worth comes from sedentary living. With the internal and external disconnections that come with social media and overuse of electronics we make developments further into meaninglessness because the little we do has no value. We need to take drugs (including prescription medication) and alcohol in order to feel things that motivated people get from doing something of value such as reaching a goal or creating something with their own hands or intellect.

Depression, anxiety, anger, despair... these negative characteristics of our psychological life are amplified by a lack of meaning, motivation, and value. To learn more about how to improve these aspects please contact me anytime.